Other than the M1 Abrams, there is no other armored American vehicle that has been used by the US Army more than the Humvee. The Humvee four-wheeled vehicles have become a symbol of military operations both domestically and globally since its inception. Its utilitarian functionality, straight-faced appearance, and the wide stance have ensured that the vehicle that was initially developed for the army, to experience huge publicity. The modern-day Humvee is the evolution of the common wartime Jeep. The wartime jeep has its history dating back to the 50 to 60 horsepower machines that were the common and standard means of transportation decades ago. The Humvee replaced the Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV), Vietnam M151 jeep, M792, M561, M718A1, and other light trucks ( Boulton, 2003) . The paper will discuss the creation and evolution of the HMMWV.
History
In 1981, the US Army made a list of specifications for a new and advanced four-wheel drive that was supposed to take on the responsibilities of a High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) that was capable of delivery to various locations in the battlefield through a helicopter. Although the military had experienced success with its previous versions of World War II small jeeps, the HMMWV was designed to meet the needs of a different era. Initially, the military had experimented by militarizing some civilian trucks for similar needs and roles but the modifications were below standard and the outcomes left much to be desired. The HMMWV acted as the universal solution to most of the military’s needs. The HMMWV was designed to meet the needs of the US Marine Corps and US Air Force equally ( Boulton, 2003) . The vehicle was a multi-role product that has a commonality of ease of conversion and parts to other roles. Although the requirements of the US Army were high, the HMMWV addressed most of the needs.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The three companies that were contracted to build prototypes of the HMMWV were Teledyne Continental, AM General, and Chrysler Defense. The AM General submitted a prototype four-wheel drive system that had good off-road capabilities and a forward-mounted diesel engine that could be mated with automatic transmission. Furthermore, it had a large passenger cabin. AM General secured the contract and they made a $1.2 billion dollar agreement in 1983 that they would produce and deliver 55000 HMMWV examples ( Boulton, 2003) . The figure increased to over 70000 due to additional orders from the USMC, USAF, and USN. The development of the HMMWV was quickly implemented to enforce the US Army’s ranks. However, the early HMMWVs had notable deficiencies when used in rigorous military use. Moreover, they had high maintenance and there were efforts by the General Accounting Office to modify the lucrative production contract that had been awarded to AM General.
In June 1984, the US Army forced the US Army to expose the HMMWV to further evaluation and testing. Also, AM General addressed various major and minor problems with the designs. Additional tests by the US Marine Corps, US Army, and the US Navy assisted in solidifying the HMMWV as ready for commercial production. By 1985, the vehicle entered service with the army. The HMMWV was initially fielded in 1989 during the US Invasion of Panama ( Cannon, 2016) . The operational results for the HMMWV showed good performance and reliability under the pressure of wartime use. Despite the success of the HMMWV, AM General continued designing better versions of the product. They designed the A0, A1, and A2 versions. The A2 was an improved Humvee than previous designs because the steering column, rear seats, and the heater were redesigned. Also, it has a 160 horsepower 6.5-liter diesel engine. The adjustment5s offered direct operator control when maneuvering the HMMWV through the tough off-road terrain.
AM General made improvements to the A2 line and came up with the Expanded Capacity Variant (ECV). The machine had a 190 horsepower and 6.5-liter engine that has increased cargo hauling abilities. Other variants of the ECV include the M1152, M113, M1151, M1114, and the M1116 (Raslavičius, Keršys, & Makaras, 2017). Other variants include armament carrying Humvees such as the TOW carrying Humvee that has TOW anti-tank missile systems that are used widely by the USMC and US Army. Besides, the HMMWV was also used in an air defense deterrent role that had an air to air missile. The improved version of the mobile air defense system was known as the HUMRAAM or the SLAMRAAM and was used against current generation fighters (Raslavičius, Keršys, & Makaras, 2017). During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Humvees have armor upgrade kids that could defeat up to 7.62mm projectiles. Also, they had been open topped weapon ring mount that could protect gunners on his back and sides.
Other modifications include side door gun mounts and additional armor protection. The "up-armored" Humvee was a standard design used in Iraq. Although the improved systems boosted crew survivability, they faced serious challenges from Iraqi guerrilla fighters and their commonly used Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). However, the M1114 was a major upgrade that offered additional protection and there are various tales of exploded Humvees that had living occupants. The HMMWV was also essential in Afghanistan where it proved to be an exceptional cross-country vehicle. The Humvee proved to be valuable to American forces in the entire region ( Cannon, 2016) . The Humvees used in Afghanistan were well represented including the M1114 series and various upgrades that were significant in quick reaction forces.
The legacy of the HMMWV grew beyond the battlefield and there were plans for the vehicle to debut in civilian form due to the positive media coverage. The civilian version of the HMMWV was developed in 1992 and was designated as a “Hummer.” However, the original civilian version of the HMMWV was used as VIP transports for the US Army. In 2003, General Motors designed and produced a commercial Hummer H2 and another version of H3 in 2006. The commercial Hummers produced by General Motors were civilian friendly that was quite different from the HMMWV produced by AM General. Furthermore, the Hummers retained some of the respectable off-road performance. By 2006, over 180000 HMMWV had been produced (Raslavičius, Keršys, & Makaras, 2017). The vehicle is quite common in US military nomenclature and was verbally assigned the common name “Humvee.” The HMMWV production is handled by AM General manufacturing plant in Indiana. All the machines are thoroughly tested before being supplying the military because they are a logistical backbone in the US military. Furthermore, the US Border patrol uses about 100 Hummer H1s in various sorties along the US Mexican border.
Conclusion
The paper will discuss the creation and evolution of the HMMWV. Despite the fact that the HMMWV was developed in the 1980s and being about four decades old, it retains its position as a viable machine for many nations especially the US and her allies. From its original design, HMMWV was a revolutionary design for warfare. The machine quickly earned the respect of the US military and it continues to draw respect in modern-day America. Despite its success in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Panama, AM General is still making modifications that will improve the HMMWV's efficiency. However, in 2015, Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) won the contract to succeed the HMMWV line and beat out competition from AM General and Lockheed. $6.7 billion and yielded about 17000 vehicles ( Cannon, 2016) . The production began in 2016 and operational capability may be attained in 2018.
References
Boulton, D. F. (2003, January). The Evolution of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) Corrosion Prevention and Control Program: In CORROSION 2003 . NACE International.
Cannon, J. P. (2016). Methodology for the system integration of adaptive resilience in armor : Naval Postgraduate School Monterey United States.
Raslavičius, L., Keršys, A., & Makaras, R. (2017). Management of hybrid powertrain dynamics and energy consumption for 2WD, 4WD, and HMMWV vehicles: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews , 68 , 380-396.
